Protest camp continues in Tarkine old growth forests

As tree-sitters continue to occupy threatened old growth forests in takayna / Tarkine, Bob Brown Foundation has released maps to counter false accusations aimed at misleading the community about the age of the forests due to be logged.

Maps today that show the Sumac forest, scheduled to be logged by the organisation formerly known as Forestry Tasmania, is old growth. These forests were mapped as old growth by the Regional Forest Agreement (RFA).

“Shamefully, Tasmania is still logging old growth forests after decades of rampant forest loss across the island. It is total nonsense that the forests, where conservationists are currently protesting imminent logging, have previously been logged. What a farce that Tasmania continues to lose old growth forests and detractors continue the tired old arguments that distort the truth,” Bob Brown Foundation Campaign Manager Jenny Weber said.

“Old growth forests generally have large overstorey trees, a well-developed understorey of other tree species and shrubs, and ecological features such as dead standing trees and large logs on the forest floor. Wildlife depends on these attributes of an old growth forest as they provide a range of nesting hollows,” Jenny Weber said.

“While operating their protest camp, conservationists recorded a juvenile Tasmanian Devil in these forests threatened by logging. We are using remote sensor cameras to record the wildlife that relies on these intact old-growth forests for habitat, proving that when the bulldozers arrive they destroy the homes of endangered species,” Jenny Weber said.

“Bob Brown Foundation is calling on Premier Hodgman and Opposition Leader Rebecca White to commit to permanent protection of takayna / Tarkine in a National Park, listed for its World Heritage values and returned to Aboriginal ownership. It takes a real leader to see the value in protecting such a vast tract of remarkable wild and ancient country for future generations, rather than destroying it,” Jenny Weber said.

We will be hosting an open day tomorrow, Sunday 28 January, for members of the public to visit the threatened forests where the protest camp is being held.